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Trump Visits Scotland to Play Golf, Talk Trade; Trump "Allowed to" Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell; Trump Tells Israel to "Finish the Job" as Starvation Grips Gaza; Trump Dismisses France's Plan to Recognize Palestinian State; Landmark Taiwan Vote Comes amid Rising Tensions with China; U.S. Cuts Funds for Vaccine Programs as Vaccination Rates Fall; Extreme Heat Can Accelerate Aging; Meta Wants to Create an Artificial Superintelligence. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired July 26, 2025 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

U.S. President Donald Trump is now in Scotland with some key meetings on his agenda. We'll look at the significance of the trip and how he's being received.

The Jeffrey Epstein saga continues at home. We'll have the latest developments after the Justice Department interviews Epstein's accomplice for a second day.

And hopes of a ceasefire dwindle as the hunger crisis in Gaza deepens. We'll look at how some world leaders are reacting to the dire situation in the enclave.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Donald Trump is in Scotland for a five-day visit. He's expected to play golf at his two resorts this weekend but he also has some important items on his agenda, trade talks with the U.K.

Prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; not everyone is welcoming the president's visit, though. In the coming hours, protesters are planning to hold demonstrations against Trump at his golf properties.

Now the overseas visit may provide a little respite from Trump's troubles at home, as the scandal involving his ties to Jeffrey Epstein showed no sign of ending.

Now security will be tight around the president's golf properties in Scotland and some Scots who spoke to CNN on Friday expressed mixed feelings about his visit. Our Ben Hunte has more on the president's agenda.

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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Golf, trade and politics. It's expected to be a mix of official and personal business for U.S. president Donald Trump during his five-day visit to Scotland. First up is Trump's golf resort in Turnberry.

TRUMP: There's no place like Turnberry. It's the best, probably the best course in the world.

HUNTE (voice-over): Then it's on to Trump's other resorts near Aberdeen for the opening of an 18-hole course dedicated to Trump's mother, who was born in Scotland.

But besides hitting the links, Trump will meet with European Union commission president Ursula von der Leyen and refine details of a trade deal between the U.K. and U.S. with U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer.

TRUMP: The prime minister, good guy. We really get along very well, so we're going to see. We're going to meet at Turnberry and we're going to meet at Aberdeen. So two beautiful places.

HUNTE (voice-over): But not everyone in Scotland is welcoming Trump's trip. Police are out in force outside Trump's properties. And protest groups are planning rallies in different cities over the weekend. The massive security operation could cost millions of dollars and some Scots say they're not impressed with their VIP visitor.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't care. It doesn't interest me at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think many Scottish people would feel that he's welcome. I think it's an embarrassment that he is coming here at all.

HUNTE (voice-over): But others say they're happy for the publicity and hope Trump will share the spotlight with Scotland.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's investing in Scotland. So yes, why not?

We don't care what he does over in his island. It's fine. When he comes to our island, it's fine with me.

HUNTE (voice-over): Trump will be back in the U.K. in September for a state visit at the invitation of King Charles. But this trip is all about golf, diplomacy and perhaps a distraction from some growing political troubles back in the U.S. -- Ben Hunte, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: Among those political troubles, questions over Trump's ties to the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein's convicted accomplice and former girlfriend faced a second day of questions Friday. Ghislaine Maxwell was given limited immunity for her meetings with deputy attorney general Todd Blanche.

Afterward, her attorney seemed to suggest she's hoping for clemency from the president. Here he is.

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DAVID OSCAR MARKUS, ATTORNEY FOR GHISLAINE MAXWELL: We haven't spoken to the president or anybody about a pardon just yet. And, you know, listen, the president this morning said he had the power to do so. We hope he exercises that power in the right and just way. Thank you.

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BRUNHUBER: Now that comment came in response to remarks made by Trump earlier in the day. He insisted he hadn't thought about giving Maxwell a pardon but refused to rule it out. Here he is.

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KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Would you consider a pardon or a commutation for Ghislaine Maxwell?

TRUMP: It's something I haven't thought about. It's really something -- it's something -- I'm allowed to do it but it's something I have not thought about.

LIPTAK: But you wouldn't rule it out, Mr. President?

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BRUNHUBER: Now in Scotland, Trump again denied that he was told his name appeared in files related to the Epstein case. That's despite reporting by CNN and other outlets that he'd been briefed on the situation in May. CNN's Paula Reid has more on Maxwell's meetings with the deputy attorney general.

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PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: On Friday, Maxwell wrapped up her marathon interview with the Justice Department. She answered questions from deputy attorney general Todd Blanche for roughly nine hours.

Her lawyer said that she answered every question. She did not invoke any privilege. He even went so far as to say she was asked about maybe 100 different people. She answered questions about everybody and did not hold anything back.

Now she went into this with some protections. It was expected that she would get some form of immunity. It never put a client, especially one who been convicted and is appealing that conviction across from the Justice Department without some protection.

So we've learned that she had limited immunity, which means that she is protected from any further prosecution related to much of what she said, unless she lies. You do not get protection for potentially lying to the FBI.

But her lawyer insists that she did not do that. Everything she said, he claims, can be corroborated and insists she's telling the truth. But, of course, we have to view this with some skepticism.

The only details we have gotten have been from her legal team and she, as I noted, is a convicted sex trafficker whose credibility has been called into question in the past. During her trial, where she was convicted, victims spoke about how she was the one who recruited them, groomed them and in some cases sexually assaulted them.

Now she is appealing that conviction but there are potential pitfalls for the Justice Department if they were to engage in some deal with her or president Trump or to commute her sentence or grant her a pardon.

Because a lot of the concern, the outrage over what some perceive as the lack of transparency around the Epstein files, is driven by a concern that sexual predators are being protected.

So this is fraught with land mines for the Justice Department and the administration. It is unclear what they have received from Maxwell and what they'll do next. The deputy attorney general has said he will give an update at the appropriate time -- Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

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BRUNHUBER: Two Democrats on the House Oversight Committee want to see a reported album of notes compiled to celebrate Epstein's birthday years ago.

Ranking member Robert Garcia and California representative Ro Khanna sent a letter Friday, asking for a copy of the compilation, which was described in a recent "The Wall Street Journal" report.

The story claimed a note reportedly bearing the president's name was included in a collection of letters given to Epstein for his 50th birthday. Trump denies he wrote the message and has filed a defamation lawsuit against the publisher.

The Democratic representatives say the album is relevant to congressional oversight of the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein case.

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BRUNHUBER: President Trump is telling Israel to, quote, "finish the job" against Hamas after his negotiators pulled back from ceasefire talks this week, despite the horrific pictures emerging of starving children and rising reports of Palestinians dying from hunger.

The U.S. president signaled Friday it's time for Israel to ramp up its military campaign in Gaza. Here he is.

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TRUMP: It was too bad. Hamas -- Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die. And it's very, very bad. And it got -- it got to be to a point where you're going to have to finish the job.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Anger over the humanitarian crisis is growing. A large crowd marched through a majority Palestinian city in northern Israel, demanding an end to the war. Some of the protesters held up photos of emaciated Palestinians in Gaza with signs that read, "We stand together against starvation."

U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer says he's rushing to get aid onto planes after Israel's decision to let foreign countries airdrop supplies in Gaza. He added that it's far too late but promised to do everything he can to get aid into the enclave.

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BRUNHUBER: Now that lack of food in Gaza has left a million children at risk of starvation or malnutrition. Now we just want to warn you, some of the images you're about to see are disturbing.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Well, some mothers tell CNN they wake up throughout the night to make sure their children are still alive. They say they can't find enough milk to feed their babies while some are turning to chamomile tea or water.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Since I delivered her, she has been small and she doesn't fill up. Her condition gets worse in the hospital and every time I go home, I find her becoming more and more weak.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Doctors and nurses in Gaza are suffering along with their patients. We're learning that some of them are fainting from hunger and exhaustion while trying to save lives. And that included two who collapsed during surgeries this week.

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BRUNHUBER: For the latest on the ceasefire talks, here's CNN's Jennifer Hansler.

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JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Diplomatic efforts toward a Gaza ceasefire are largely on ice after the U.S. and Israel recalled their negotiating teams from Doha, citing a lack of serious seriousness from Hamas.

Although the main mediators, Qatar and Egypt, have said they would continue in that mediation role, president Trump on Friday suggested that Israel's military could, quote, "finish the job in Gaza."

There had been a lot of hope that a ceasefire, even temporary, would provide the opportunity for badly needed humanitarian aid to surge into the Gaza Strip.

However, for the time being, major restrictions are still in place by the Israeli government on the amount and type of aid that is reaching those desperately needy people within the besieged enclave. They did give the green light to airdrops that they expect in the coming days.

However, the U.N. and aid officials say that this is not the most efficient way to get aid to those in need, that it is costly and dangerous. The Trump administration has not appointed an official to deal exclusively with humanitarian issues, in the same way that the Biden administration had.

This person had been a special envoy, whose entire job was to focus on the diplomatic efforts to pressure the Israeli government to increase the flow of aid into the Gaza Strip. The Trump administration says that they are dealing with Israeli officials on the matter.

However, publicly, they have thrown their support behind the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. This private group, which is backed by the U.S. and Israeli government, has seen sites of violence and deadly shootings around their aid sites within Gaza over the past two months.

Trump administration officials claim that they are the only group to stop alleged Hamas looting from happening at their aid sites. This is what State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on Thursday.

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TOMMY PIGOTT, DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: It is the dedication of this administration. That's why we've seen the 90 million meals -- the support of that effort from this administration.

So of course we want to see as much aid getting into Gaza as possible in a way that is not being looted by Hamas. And this mechanism, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has been a way to do that. So we're calling for additional support of that foundation to deliver that aid.

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HANSLER: Now it is important to note that an internal U.S. government review found no evidence of widespread Hamas theft in Gaza over the course of two years of the war.

This analysis from the U.S. Agency for International Development looked at more than 150 incidents reported by aid groups on the ground. And they were not able to determine who exactly was responsible for these thefts and diversion.

However, they did not find evidence of a systemic theft by Hamas, which contradicts the continued claims by the Trump administration. A State Department spokesperson said that they have video of such theft and looting but they did not provide further details -- Jennifer Hansler, CNN, the State Department.

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BRUNHUBER: President Trump is dismissing Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognize a Palestinian state. He told reporters the French president's move is pointless and won't impact the conflict. Here he is.

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Here's the good news. What he says doesn't matter. You know.

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TRUMP: It's not going to change. I like him but that statement doesn't carry weight.

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BRUNHUBER: British prime minister Keir Starmer weighed in, saying the recognition of a Palestinian state is vital for peace in the region. But he says it needs to be part of a wider plan that ultimately results in a two-state solution and security for both sides.

I want to go now to Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House. And she joins us from London.

Good to see you again.

So on Macron's decision to recognize a Palestinian state, why act now when the chances of actually establishing a Palestinian state in the near future is close to zero?

SANAM VAKIL, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: Good to see you, too.

Macron's decision is very much about pressure and this isn't about the here and now. This is about building international support, which I believe is already there for a credible pathway to Palestinian statehood.

And Macron, along with many in the international community, want to pressure the Israeli government to understand the gravity of this moment. The devastation in Gaza is unacceptable.

And ultimately coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians, where security is very much embedded in the process, will be the best way to protect both of these communities.

BRUNHUBER: But, I mean, we heard, you know, Donald Trump saying clearly there, basically nobody cares what Macron thinks.

I mean, is he right?

How much leverage or influence does the French president have?

VAKIL: Well, I mean, obviously, I think this is a moment where the broader international community has to come together in absence of the United States, to stand up for what is right and just.

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It is a long time coming that Palestinians deserve statehood. And certainly on the back of this war and this crisis, I think the aim here is to have more countries recognize a Palestinian state.

And when the war comes to an end, build out a negotiation and diplomatic process that supports the prospect of Palestinian statehood and tries to bring both sides to the table in what really should be a foregone conclusion.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So you talk about building support. Obviously, the hope from Macron's point of view is that other countries could follow his lead.

You know, concretely, do you think that's likely?

Will we hear other announcements, possibly in the future?

VAKIL: I certainly hope so. There is pressure on the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, to do the right thing. There's pressure within his party. There's widespread pressure coming from across British society.

And the same is across Europe. People would like their governments to recognize Palestinian statehood and that's very much the case here. But it is unclear if prime minister Starmer is going to have the courage or the leadership to do so.

And, you know, I am among many here who are imploring for him to do that. He is very much worried that such recognition could damage Britain's relations with the United States of America. And president Trump takes a very bullying approach to these relationships.

And so he's trying to balance national interests against international interests and doing the right thing. This is about doing the right thing. This is a moment in history. What's happening in Gaza is unconscionable. And the world needs to be paying attention, as do world leaders.

BRUNHUBER: You say Starmer won't want to cross the U.S. president. We've heard again from the Trump administration. They said this move is reckless. They say it rewards terrorism and actually sets back peace.

Couple that with Donald Trump telling Israel to finish the job in Gaza, is there a chance that this could just push Trump further toward Netanyahu at the expense of Palestinians?

VAKIL: It certainly showcases that both Trump and Netanyahu are -- well, Trump himself is frustrated that the ceasefire negotiations that were underway in Doha haven't resulted in outcomes.

I also think that prime minister Netanyahu really has no interest in the ceasefire negotiations at this time, despite the fact that there's still 20 living Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Finishing the job is, in their minds, about eradicating Hamas' long- term viability. But that comes at the expense of ordinary citizens on the ground. Not all Palestinians by any means support Hamas. And they are being very much punished for this war that is going to continue drag on into two years with long-term consequences.

And, of course, the daily humanitarian disaster does need to be addressed. Again, I come back to doing the right thing. The fact that the international community has to drop in food because the Israeli government can't deliver it, I think, is morally reprehensible.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, the need is certainly pressing for action. Really appreciate getting your analysis. Sanam Vakil in London, thank you so much.

VAKIL: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Taiwan holds war games to simulate a Chinese invasion and they're no longer being kept out of sight. Plus, today's recall election that could reshape Taiwan's future.

And it's going to be a hot weekend in major cities across the northeastern U.S.

So hot it's expected to get -- we'll share how hot it's expected to get after the break. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: President Donald Trump is in Scotland for a five-day visit. He's expected to play golf at his two resorts there and officially open a new 18-hole golf course dedicated to his mother, who was born in Scotland.

Trump will also meet with U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer to finalize a trade deal and hold trade meetings with the European Commission president. Meanwhile, several Scottish newspapers have published headlines mocking the president. And protesters are planning demonstrations against him.

On Saturday, CNN spoke with some Scots to get their opinion of Trump's visit. Here's what one woman had to say.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I absolutely loathe president Trump and I wish he wasn't at Turnberry or in Aberdeen. And I think it's costing the country a fortune. And I don't care whether eventually some of it'll come back to us or not. I think it's a shocking amount of work for everyone to do just for him to come and play golf.

And that's me. I think good for the protests because I think he has to realize that people in Scotland do not like him and think he's a complete pain in the hooky.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Steven Erlanger is "The New York Times" chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe and he joins us live from London.

Yes, the -- her terminology, I think, made us both laugh there. But it made it on the air, too. Yes, that's right. But listen, you know, while we might be laughing at that, certainly much more serious issues are at stake here in the U.S. with the Epstein controversy dominating all the headlines.

Trump even banning "The Wall Street Journal" reporters from the press pool. So I guess for him, this trip comes at a good time.

Do you think the mess in Washington might follow him to Scotland?

Will they have any bearing on this trip, do you think?

STEVEN ERLANGER, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Well, it always follows him. I mean, particularly, you know, if the press corps gets a chance to talk to him, if there's a press conference, I don't know if there will be.

Most of it's closed press. They will ask him, certainly, about Washington and about Epstein and more about whether he will pardon Ghislaine Maxwell.

[04:25:04]

It just won't stop. I mean, partly, as we've talked about, I mean, Trump is the author of his own problems. I mean, he has fed these conspiracy theories. And now, in a way, he's suffering from the expectations he raised among some of his most fervent followers.

BRUNHUBER: So he'll be meeting with Keir Starmer.

How do you expect the British prime minister to navigate this tricky relationship?

And what do you make of the fact that that Starmer is the one going to Scotland to meet with Trump?

ERLANGER: Yes, well, that tells you a lot already, doesn't it? Because, I mean, Trump is -- I mean he's doing PR work for his own businesses. Turnberry is not making money. So it's a good PR visit for him. And he's making, you know, Muhammad come to the mountain.

And that's true of Ursula von der Leyen, too. So it's a little embarrassing, I think. But it is important that the U.S. and U.K. fill out this trade deal. And it's very important for Ursula von der Leyen to try to work out a better trade deal for the European Union, which is quite big and has its own leverage.

So these are serious talks. But they will come after a couple of days of playing golf and enjoying himself and being away from the press and away from the Epstein case.

BRUNHUBER: So president Trump has said the chances of coming away with a trade deal with the E.U. is 50-50.

How significant would that be, do you think?

ERLANGER: Well, I think it'd be enormously significant. You know, Trump tends to, as the cliche is now, to escalate to de-escalate. He tends to set the bar very high. And then the people who accept a lower bar are grateful, even though it's painful for them to accept the lower bar.

And that's kind of what's going on with the European Union. He's threatening 30 percent, 50 percent tariffs, whatever he feels like saying that day. And they're hoping to limit that to 10 percent or 15 percent, which is already considerably high.

But it is less than what he's threatening. So it's very important. The two countries have enormous amount of trade together. I think it is important for both countries to work it out. I think the people around Trump understand that, too.

BRUNHUBER: Less concretely, maybe since Trump's pivot on Ukraine, there's been a collective wiping of brows among European leaders.

Do you think the atmosphere is different now among America's allies?

ERLANGER: Well, I think it's relieved. I mean, a diplomat friend of mine says it's smiling through gritted teeth. Trump is very predictable in some ways and then very unpredictable in other ways.

And he comes around to topics that you think have been settled, like Greenland. He'll come back to Greenland or come back to Gaza. He does believe the European Union as a structure is not in America's interests.

He is beginning to understand, I think, that NATO, as a structure, which is a different kind of structure, is in America's interests and that as long as the Europeans consider Ukraine a national security threat to themselves and are willing to put the money and effort into helping Ukraine protect itself, that's fine with Trump.

Because it is shifting the burden from America to Europe. And that's important to him.

BRUNHUBER: You touched on this a little bit but I don't want to let this go. Trump is opening his own golf course, staying at his properties during the official visit.

How do you think this mixing of personal business with presidential duties muddies the waters?

I mean, certainly it raises many ethical questions.

ERLANGER: Well, it does, in my view. I mean, in many other people's views, it's unprecedented to this extent. I mean, Trump is a businessman. But this -- he's stayed. I mean, people have kept figures like 169 days at his own properties while he's been president.

He obviously likes them but he's also a businessman and he's doing all kinds of bitcoin things and selling things and seals with his, you know, face on them. And their suggestions that the Treasury wants to put out a $250 bill next year for 250th anniversary of the United States with his face on it.

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It's just a much more personalized, business-oriented, profiting presidency than I think we've ever had. And it does make some people very uncomfortable. But this is what Trump is like. It's what he was like and, to a lesser degree, in his first term. But people knew what they we're getting. I think.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, unprecedented, as you say. We'll be watching this trip to see whether anything concrete comes of it. Really appreciate getting your analysis, Steven Erlanger in London, thank you so much.

ERLANGER: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: The White House has cut millions of dollars from vaccination programs with no explanation. Still ahead, what it means for those programs and the people who need them. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Taiwan is holding a recall vote on 24 opposition party lawmakers accused of a pro-Beijing bias. It's a landmark vote that could reshape Taiwan's political landscape. That comes as worries rise over the threat of invasion from China and whether the U.S. would abide by pledges to defend the island.

CNN's Will Ripley reports on Taiwan's war games as the country prepares for a worst case-scenario.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to Taiwan in 2025, where military police hold midnight drills on the subway as folks watch from the soybean milk shop next door.

Armed convoys get a friendly welcome from kids leaving the pool.

[04:35:00]

U.S.-supplied military hardware showing up in places civilians never expected.

JASON LIAO, TAIPEI RESIDENT: And I just bump into the missile.

RIPLEY: The Patriot missile battery.

LIAO: Yes. And at first, it's quite shocking. It's also a really great reminder that war is really close.

RIPLEY: Ten days of war games all over this island democracy imagining how a Chinese invasion might unfold.

Taiwan holds military drills every year. But this year, they're twice as long, largely unscripted and for the first time in a long time, happening in crowded, everyday spaces.

Not just remote areas like 10 years ago when Lin Jing-da was a full- time soldier. He says military drills then were out of sight and heavily scripted.

Do you think the government by putting the drills so close to everyday people is trying to prepare Taiwanese for the possibility of a war with China soon?

"We need to let the citizens know about the possibility of war and prepare them for it," he says.

Because China is getting ready too.

These are believed to be PLA landing barges designed to rapidly offload tanks, soldiers and equipment onto a hostile beach. Analysts say they're built for one job -- taking Taiwan.

Top U.S. officials now say Chinese leader Xi Jinping told PLA leaders be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027.

This is the island's dress rehearsal for war.

We just got this presidential alert that says, "Missile attack. Seek immediate shelter."

When the sirens go off, everyone takes cover.

This busy street in the middle of a workday totally empty except for the police making sure that people are not out on the sidewalks.

Even the local supermarket joins in, guiding shoppers to a basement bomb shelter.

"I think people would feel nervous when they're down there," she says.

Taiwanese leaders say that's the point.

LIN FEI-FAN, DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL, TAIWAN NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: I think we need to be more prepared in any kind of situation.

RIPLEY: Taiwan is proudly displaying its U.S.-made arsenal HIMARs, Avengers, HESCO barriers, billions of spent on full display, a message aimed far beyond Taipei.

TRUMP: Taiwan took our chip business way.

RIPLEY: But not everyone believes the U.S. will come to Taiwan's aid.

What do you think President Trump would do if Taiwan were attacked?

LIAO: Me personally, I think that Trump will only do things that will benefit himself. Once he got a deal with China that is more appealing then he might just abandon us.

RIPLEY: You think he could abandon Taiwan?

LIAO: Yes.

RIPLEY: Taiwan's leaders say they cannot afford to wait for help. They're making war feel real because it could be. And they want the world and their own people to be ready.

Could these massive military drills influence Taiwan voters?

Was that the point?

We'll soon find out. Thanks to a legal quirk in Taiwan's constitution, voters have the power to recall their lawmakers midterm. That power is being tested today. Taiwan's biggest ever recall vote is underway; 24 opposition lawmakers, seen as pro-China, could be ousted.

If they go, President Lai Ching-te may flip parliament and push for tougher China policy. If they don't, he could become a lame duck and his U.S.-friendly agenda could be at risk -- Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Thailand and Cambodia are clashing along their disputed border for the third day, prompting mass evacuations and growing fears of a prolonged conflict. Both sides have accused the other of starting the conflict and are blaming each other for the ongoing fighting.

And the death toll is rising. More than a dozen people have been killed in Cambodia, including civilians and soldiers, with scores wounded in Thailand. At least 16 people have been killed, mostly civilians, and dozens have been wounded, according to the health ministry.

Envoys from both countries addressed a U.N. Security Council meeting about the clashes on Friday. Now this town near Thailand's border with Cambodia is largely deserted as residents flee the deadly fighting. The clashes have displaced more than 160,000 people.

Coming up, new research shows how high temperatures can make us age faster. We'll explain how you can protect yourself. That story and more coming up after the break.

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BRUNHUBER: Deportation flights have begun from the makeshift immigration detention center in Florida, dubbed Alligator Alcatraz. Immigration officials say as many as 100 people have been deported. It's not clear where they were sent.

The remote Everglades facility has been criticized for housing migrants in poor conditions. Florida governor Ron DeSantis is defending the detention center, saying it's speeding up deportations. Here he is.

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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): It was never intended to be something where people are just held and -- and we just kind of twiddle our thumbs.

The whole purpose is to make this be a place that can facilitate increased frequency and numbers of deportations of illegal aliens.

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BRUNHUBER: The White House says it will release nearly $5 billion in funding for public schools that it froze earlier this month. A senior official tells CNN the administration has finished a review and funds will be released to states.

The White House claimed the money was being used to promote what it called "left-wing ideologies." The administration has been working to dismantle the Department of Education.

Now the funding freeze had many districts scrambling. Much of that money goes to programs serving some of the country's poorest students.

A number of U.S. health officials are worried about a decline in vaccination rates. The numbers have fallen since the Trump administration pulled millions of dollars from state and local vaccine programs. CNN's Meg Tirrell reports.

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MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: These are funds that are appropriated by Congress under the Public Health Services Act and they enable things like data collection on vaccination, providing shots to underserved kids and adults, also helping monitor the safety of vaccines and fighting misinformation around them.

But this year, we've learned that the Department of Health and Human Services undertook a lengthy review of these funds and, in some cases, that led to delays in receiving them and beyond delays, sometimes when jurisdictions actually received the money, it was less than they expected to get.

Overall, they were expecting about $418 million in immunization program funding and they actually received $398 million. So about $20 million total less than that.

The Department of Health and Human Services saying of the review that, quote, "The Defend the Spend initiative is a department-wide effort to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used effectively, transparently and in alignment with this administration."

[04:45:05]

They say they are committed to working with grantees to resolve outstanding issues as quickly as possible. Butt some of these cities and states are saying they've had to furlough or even lay off completely workers in these immunization programs.

And this is compounded on top of funds that have been taken back from COVID-era funding. So billions of dollars from these public health departments resulting in immunization workers jobs being cut up to almost 600 in total.

Associated with that COVID-era funding cutbacks. And what we're hearing from public health experts is real concern about what this is doing to the public health infrastructure.

Dr. Brian Castrucci, the CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, which advocates for the public health workforce says, "We're watching the deliberate dismantling of the public health safety net in real time."

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BRUNHUBER: U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly looking to remove more experts from public health roles. "The Wall Street Journal" reports that Kennedy plans to remove expert advisors from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

That task force provides recommendations for things like screening for cancer and various disorders. Preventative services are designed to make Americans aware of illnesses and conditions earlier, when they're easier and less expensive to treat.

Parts of the U.S. could have record breaking temperatures this weekend as a heat wave hits the Northeast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

BRUNHUBER: Now the summer's extreme heat isn't just miserable, it's taking a toll on our bodies. New research shows high temperatures can even affect how we age. CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard explains.

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JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH CORRESPONDENT: People might not even realize that this is happening in their bodies. But a new study finds that being in extreme heat for extended periods of time can age our cells.

The study, it included more than 3,600 adults older than age 56. And it found that people who experienced at least 140 days of extreme heat each year aged up to 14 months faster than those living in places with fewer than 10 extreme heat days a year.

And extreme heat was measured as greater than 90 degrees Fahrenheit. So that's more than about 32 degrees Celsius.

These soaring temperatures can cause a deterioration in our cells and tissues. And that's how it appears to be linked to increased biological aging. Now your chronological age refers to how long you've been alive based on your birthday. But your biological age that measures how well your cells and tissues function.

[04:50:00]

So the difference between the two explains why sometimes someone's age doesn't always match their health and their vitality.

So for people living in areas with extreme heat, there are things you can do. Be mindful of spending too much time outdoors in the high heat. Try to stay in air conditioning or keep your windows open for a nice breeze.

Avoid exercising outdoors during the hottest parts of the day. Save your workouts for the cooler parts of the day.

And for people with certain chronic diseases, you may be already taking medications that could help slow aging, like metformin that's prescribed for diabetes or GLP-1 medications.

And then for all of us, it's important to exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, maintain a healthy weight, don't smoke, limit alcohol. These are all important steps we can all take to stay in good health as we age.

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BRUNHUBER: Good advice there.

We'll be right back. Stay with us. (MUSIC PLAYING)

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BRUNHUBER: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is on a mission to create an artificial intelligence that is better than humans at all knowledge-based work.

[04:55:00]

He's joined the race to reach so-called artificial superintelligence. CNN's Clare Duffy reports.

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CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, Meta really has kicked off this talent war within the AI industry. It's almost like these big AI companies are starting to be something like basketball teams and they're shelling out multimillion-dollar pay packages for some of the top talent.

Mark Zuckerberg appears willing to spare almost no expense to make sure that his company wins this race. Now Meta had been spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build out the AI infrastructure like data centers and chips.

And now it's really gone on this big hiring spree that started with a $14 billion investment last month into the AI startup Scale. As part of that deal, it hired away Scale's founder and CEO, Alexander Wang, to run this new team called Meta Superintelligence Labs. Now Meta has hired around two dozen of the top AI researchers, software engineers, product managers.

And it is again shelling out multimillion-dollar pay packages to hire those people away from its rivals. That strategy appears to be working. It's hired top talent away from OpenAI, from Google, Anthropic, Apple, Scale AI.

And, of course, the stakes here for Mark Zuckerberg are quite high. Mark Zuckerberg would like for Meta to be more than just a social media company. He had a failed pivot to the metaverse several years ago. And so now he is reorienting the company around artificial intelligence.

He's made these huge investments in data centers. He needs to do something with those. Meta has also built this growing devices business around smart glasses. That business hinges on Meta's AI model continuing to get better.

And then, of course, Meta is also using AI in its core business. That is to make it even better at targeting people with ads across social media. All of those things depend on Meta continuing to be a leader in this space -- Clare Duffy, CNN, New York.

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BRUNHUBER: And that wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.